All in all, there isn't really anything good I can say for my experience reading this story, but I'm still giving it two stars because I do think that this book has its audience - it's just not me, and I would hope it's not any impressionable young girls who might read this and think these are healthy behaviors for teen boys in their lives.

Content warnings: violence, death, mentions of drug addictions

I just loved this book. It was so easy to get lost in and I just loved meeting these characters. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

This was a pretty good read but I think it was a bit slow. Not sure I would recommend it to my friends but I think that you can be in the mood for a book such as this one. Pretty good read overall, just wish it kept my interest a bit better.

Dont want to give anything away. But this book will keep wanting more. This is paranormal romance and it gets straight to the point. The only thing i wish I had a little more background to the characters other than that author did a great job witht this book.

A really good book though it was slow paced in my opinion. Still very interesting and well executed though!! Overall, solid 3 star read. Though I did get bored during reading it during some points.

I have previously read and reviewed this title on Goodreads and Amazon. Great book, but had some hiccups along the way.

I enjoyed this story! The characters were really luring and the descriptions of the world were eerie but beautiful. The worldbuilding was a bit complicated in the beginning but I fell back on track as the story unraveled. The plot was slow in some areas but completely took off as we learned more about the world. I look forward to learning more!

It’s been a long time since I’ve fallen in love with a shifter book, so it’s only fitting that the one that grabs my heart is not only a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but a gender-swapped one at that. That’s right, the beast in this tale isn’t big and broody and alpha Rain, but Freddie, the girl he meets at his new school that captures his interest from their very first meeting.

HAVEN is atmospheric and mysterious and romantic, and filled with danger and plenty of otherworldly beings, unbeknownst to Rain. I absolutely LOVED the Twilight feel that this book gave me — not in terms of storytelling or characters, but in terms of the small town that protects their people and holds their secrets incredibly close. As Rain and Freddie get closer and closer, their world gets more and more perilous as Freddie’s life is threatened. Rain is thrust right into the middle of a world he never even imagined was possible, and I loved seeing him find his place in this new world and finally finding a place to belong. If he can stay alive, that is 😉

Bottom line — HAVEN is a unique and mysterious series starter that kept me glued to the pages. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these characters in the sequel, HAVOC.

*eARC received courtesy of Entangled Teen and NetGalley.

Long, drawn out plot with mystery elements and supernatural thrown in.
Not something I loved but I wanted to see what happened until the end.

There's something strange going on in the town of New Wuzburgs, a secret society hiding in plain sight, until now.......

Haven was such a fun rollercoaster of events. Every page featured a new twist or turn and I was firmly buckled in to enjoy this ride!

I enjoyed reading from Rain's perspective, it was such a refreshing change to follow along from a male POV. I immediately liked Rain because despite growing up on the streets on the "hard knock life" philosophy, he still has a heart and a conscience. Despite his tragic past, he is afforded a fresh start with his aunt Ruby in a small town that emanates weird.

Small town settings are one of my favorite settings because everyone tends to be nosey and there's a nice sense of camaraderie and community. As Rain struggles to adapt to his new environment, he runs into danger, more accurately Freddie, who walks, talks, and smells like trouble.

Too bad for Rain, trouble is his middle name and he soon finds himself caught up in a whodunnit scenario that exposes the town's Watcher/Weaver supernatural community that consists of werewolves and witches.

Haven was unique in that the roles were reversed, the girl is in a position of power and trying to save the guy from trouble. The romance is very minor so I would classify it as YA paranormal romance.

This review was posted on my blog: https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/book-review-haven-by-mary-lindsey/

This was my first read by Mary and the next book in the series is what sucked me in, so I wanted to start on this right away.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was an interesting take on things since I tend to love reads with these kinds of paranormal/fantasy beings. But something that was surprising was the single POV from the hero and it was quite refreshing.

The beginning really hooked me in and then it started to get a little slow for me.

The relationship happened a bit too quickly to the point that it was almost tough for me to connect with them. There's a lot of push from the heroine, so that set me back alot as well.

I'm not into the politics when it comes to paranormal beings, but it plays a huge part in this story. And it's beyond frustrating because a lot of it is just unfair.

Overall, I did like this, there are things here and here that didn't quite work for me. But I'm eager to get to Havoc.

When a street kid watches paramedics remove his mother's lifeless body, he realizes that there will be big changes in his life. Rain is sent to live with his mother's twin, Abby. New Wurzburg is a small town where there are no secrets. As Rain begins adjusting to his new environment, he feels an undercurrent in the town. He doesn't know anyone well enough to ask about it though. Until he sees Fredericke. She is sassy, smart, and strong and he is instantly drawn to her. Rain is warned to stay away from her but the magnetism is too much to resist.

Suddenly Rain finds himself in the middle of the undercurrent. Should he tell his aunt everything? What type of arrangement do the witches and watchers have in the community? Rain's only wish is to keep Freddy safe, even to the point of sacrificing his life. Will that be enough though?

This is a very surprising story. There are witches, werewolves, and ordinary people all coexisting in a small town. How do they manage to keep a secret this big? Mary Lindsey has created two strong characters in Rain and Freddie (Fredericke) who have bravado and strength of conviction on their side. The dynamics of small town life are well portrayed here. Nosy neighbors are nothing compared to small town life. The story is a twist on the conventional dislike of werewolves and witches as both have a need for the other. With this need there is also a need for change. The younger generation believes it is time to re-examine traditions and the older generation firmly resists. Finding a way to bring old and new together is a difficult task but Rain and Freddie appear to be up to the challenge.

This is an excellent book for people who enjoy werewolf and witch stories. It is a fast moving story that grabs you and holds you in its clutches until the final page. New surroundings, small towns, creatures of the night, love, and family values are all woven together into a very entertaining read.

Reading Rate: ****/5
Romance: ****/5
Recommend if you liked: Crave series, Shiver, Shadowhunters
This was a dark yet fun and fast paced YA paranormal story with a pretty decent amount of romance.
What I liked:
- I enjoyed the characters and the darkness of the world. The kids deal with difficult and heartbreaking situations and the story even got a little creepy reading at times at night.
- Unique magic system
- It was really fun for me that the story is based in Texas since that is where I am from
What I struggled with:
- Similar to issues in the Shadowhunters books there is a lot of people stuck in their old ways and a large lack of communication.

While the ending did wrap up nicely it left things open for more story, I was ready to learn more about the world and see what mayhem the characters encountered next.
Thank you to Mary Lindsey and Entangled Teen for a copy of Haven in exchanged for my honest opinion.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review! Omg I could not put it down. This book was fantastic in getting to know all the players in the story. I loved how the theme of redemption and self confidence was present but not overt. I can’t wait for the next book!

This was a uniquely twisted take on Beauty and the Beast
This Beast is the Beauty, in this deliciously mythology book take on shapeshifters

I had a great time reading Haven! Read it practically in one sitting and I can't wait to read Havoc to keep the story going. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review both books.

Thank you so much to Entangled Teen for letting me read Haven before reviewing Havoc. I loved how different this take on shifters and witches was! I liked it more than I thought I would. It was a little slow at the beginning and I had a slightly hard time getting into it at first, but once I did, I really liked Rain and Freddie and everyone and the storyline was great. Rain's relationship with his aunt was so cute and it was definitely one of the highlights of the book for me. I also loved all of the action at the end and the way the ending happened in general. Overall, this was a great book and a great set up for book two!

While I liked the story and the world building, I felt some of the secrecy made the overall story a little choppy. The other thing I felt was off, was how easy Rain accepted all the changes and secrets. Especially his feelings/relationship with Freddie. Outside of that, it really is a cool story. I absolutely love seeing a female Alpha!

Rain has had a rough start to life and when he’s in need of a home, the aunt he never knew he had, takes him in. Upon arriving in New Wurzburg strange things start happening to him. He tries to go with the flow even if he doesn’t understand said flow. His rough upbringing has actually prepared him for all the things he’s now being faced with. Regardless of the circumstances that brought Rain to New Wuzburg, he shows everyone and Freddie that he’s not afraid to step up and that he’s not going anywhere.

We’ll see where things go for Freddie and a rain in the next book...

*I was provided an Ebook copy of this by Entangled for an honest review in preparation for Havoc*

First, I'm very happy I don't have to wait for a sequel and the continued story! :D
(So sorry to anyone who did, I know the pain.)

This is a pretty easy review, short and simple.

It was a quick read for me - I'm not a huge fan of main MC's from a male POV (this is a preference based on I can't relate as easily and that's literally the only reason. I have no actual issue and this doesn't affect my rating).

However, with that being said I felt like we got enough of Freddie added in that this felt like a well-rounded novel and while at times the multiple characters could be confusing, for me it wasn't too overwhelming.

I like to keep my reviews pretty clear of plot points, just the actualities of the novel IE (it had a male MC, it was 400+ pages, it had confusing entry points from multiple character lines etc) - not I couldn't stand this story arc because that's full of preference! I might love a specific character arc that you might not.

With that long-winded explanation, this was about werewolves and I do enjoy stories with paranormal! I don't think we get enough and I'm so happy to see it being out here, and continuing!

Overall, I'm really excited to jump into Havoc, and for a quick lovely YA read, I'd recommend this series!

I must confess, YA paranormal is not my go-to genre, I’m typically a fantasy girl! The only paranormal series that I have fallen in love with was the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I did find Haven a nice pallet cleanser from what I usually read!
While I found Haven a bit slow to start, I loved how Mary Lindsey was able to incorporate all of the best aspects that the TV show Grimm has! I also found it refreshing that Haven is based off of Rain’s POV, while I would have like a little of Freddies POV just to see what she was thinking at sometimes!
Haven has everything that a YA paranormal should have! Suspense, Romance and wearwolves! Haven will have you gripping your book, or ebook, to find out what happens next! I cannot wait to get my hands on Havoc!
4/5*